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Maverick Genius: The Pioneering Odyssey of Freeman Dyson
“Dyson is heir to Einstein—a visionary who has reshaped thinking in fields from math to astrophysics to medicine.”— The Atlantic Freeman Dyson has been influential in many fields over his long and legendary career, including quantum physics, national defense, space, and religion. In this definitive biography, author Phillip F. Schewe examines the life of one of the most innovative thinkers of our time, whose accomplishments A colleague of Albert Einstein at Princeton and friends with leading thinkers including Robert Oppenheimer, George F. Kennan, and Richard Feynman, Freeman Dyson is a larger-than-life figure in the world of science, and he has recently made headlines for his controversial views on global warming. Written with the cooperation of Dyson's children, entrepreneur Esther Dyson (an early investor in Flickr, Google, and Orbitz, who has often been called "The First Lady of the Internet") and tech writer George Dyson, this is the first complete biography of the man who changed the way we think about science today.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published February 19, 2013
18 people are currently reading
381 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 9, 2013
I must admit that I didn't know much about Freeman Dyson. I had read his daughter Ester Dyson's book and kept up with her, but I only knew he was her father. "Maverick Genius" is a nice introduction to Freeman's life and works. It is rare to find someone that has garnered so many accolades in the field he specializes in, and rarer still to see that person excel in a variety of fields, as if he's a specialist in each. It reminds me of the scientists in the Victorian era, who could be specialists in multiple fields since much of the science of that era was just beginning. Dyson is a true renaissance man. The book was somewhat casual throughout, with asides to the reader about what was coming later. I found the science descriptions to be pretty easy to understand, though a bit longer than needed in some cases. I felt that the chapter on "Dyson as Preacher" was written differently than the rest of the book - a little more academic, a little less reader-friendly, like maybe it was part of a writing assignment before getting added to the book. Overall I liked the book. I had to keep reading to find out which direction he'd go next. The book was written without Dyson's active help, and it does feel a bit third person throughout. Some reflection by Dyson would have made this excellent.
Won in Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Won in Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
March 6, 2013
I received an ARC of this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaways.
It is not often that I cannot finish a book. I always believe that maybe the next page will hold something brilliant. So believe me when I say that even after a week of trying and only getting to page 144, I decided to just let this one go.
Although it is nice that the science in this book is written for the layman reader, the 144 pages I read felt as though the author was indecisive about who exactly he was writing for, which is understandable. The science is dumbed down for anyone not familiar with physics and such to follow, but I would suspect too dumbed down for someone who actually knows who Freeman Dyson is and would want to read a book about him. There were multiple spelling/word errors, which came across as irresponsible ("Freeman" was sometimes left uncapitalized, the word "election" was used instead of "electron," and Oppenheimer was often referred to as "Oppie," which I just find disrespectful for a "scholarly" work) and the comparisons to art, literature, and just about every other subject apart from physics that appeared on nearly every page were tiresome.
I kept pushing because I wanted to provide an honest, relevant review, especially since I received my ARC for free. I truly hope that this review is helpful.
It is not often that I cannot finish a book. I always believe that maybe the next page will hold something brilliant. So believe me when I say that even after a week of trying and only getting to page 144, I decided to just let this one go.
Although it is nice that the science in this book is written for the layman reader, the 144 pages I read felt as though the author was indecisive about who exactly he was writing for, which is understandable. The science is dumbed down for anyone not familiar with physics and such to follow, but I would suspect too dumbed down for someone who actually knows who Freeman Dyson is and would want to read a book about him. There were multiple spelling/word errors, which came across as irresponsible ("Freeman" was sometimes left uncapitalized, the word "election" was used instead of "electron," and Oppenheimer was often referred to as "Oppie," which I just find disrespectful for a "scholarly" work) and the comparisons to art, literature, and just about every other subject apart from physics that appeared on nearly every page were tiresome.
I kept pushing because I wanted to provide an honest, relevant review, especially since I received my ARC for free. I truly hope that this review is helpful.
January 1, 2014
I received this book for free as part of the Goodreads Giveaways program.
It's a fascinating biography of a renaissance man, Freeman Dyson. It focuses on his life, his studies, his relationships, and the way he shifted from writing technical and mathematical papers to philosophical and contemplative ones. Overall, it's a very readable book and the complicated math and physics concepts are referred to more than explained. Since the book covers his entire life, the chapters give the reader more of an overview of the events in his life than an in-depth examination of them. I have to admit that I never knew about Mr. Dyson before reading this book, and I learned a lot about his impact on the world. It was a very engaging read.
Interesting quotes:
"For those that have it, an addiction to mathematics can be as difficult to overcome as addiction to tobacco or alcohol. The logic of mathematics is different from most habits of mind. Few things in life are as pure and self-consistent. To many teenagers life appears messy and hopeless even without the onset of world war around the corner. The chesslike rigor of mathematics kept chaos at bay, at least temporarily." (p. 10)
"Paraphrasing a common sentiment, Peierls said that a specialist is a 'person who learns more and more about less and less until he knows everything about nothing,' while a generalist 'learns less and less about more and more until he knows nothing about everything.' Both men tended toward being generalists, although no one would say that Dyson and Peierls knew nothing about everything." (pp. 78-79)
[Space Traveler's Manifesto] "Our purpose, and our belief, is that the bombs which killed and maimed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki shall one day open the skies to men." (p. 135)
"A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible." (p. 138)
"Even if in practice the rival concepts would likely result in the same thing, namely the deaths of millions, the outlook of the two positions is very different. America says to Russia: if you try anything we will destroy you. And Russia says to America: if you try anything we will outlive you." (pp. 211-212)
"Soviet leaders do not always wish to listen to our diplomacy, Dyson argued, but they do listen to our technology." (p. 214)
"In trying to find a way out of the nuclear labyrinth we've made for ourselves we can resort to political measures, such as negotiating treaties and shifting to a nonnuclear defense." (p. 217)
"Dyson, having lived through world war and cold war, doesn't pretend this is a benign universe, only that it is interesting." (p. 227)
"An awareness of our smallness may help to redeem us from the arrogance which is the besetting sin of scientists." (p. 237)
"A person who goes against consensus on important issues is called a heretic. If, furthermore, the contrarian vision proves to be apt - if the heretical portent comes to pass - then we call him a prophet. Prophecy is retrospective." (p. 264)
new words: orthogonal, heresiarch
It's a fascinating biography of a renaissance man, Freeman Dyson. It focuses on his life, his studies, his relationships, and the way he shifted from writing technical and mathematical papers to philosophical and contemplative ones. Overall, it's a very readable book and the complicated math and physics concepts are referred to more than explained. Since the book covers his entire life, the chapters give the reader more of an overview of the events in his life than an in-depth examination of them. I have to admit that I never knew about Mr. Dyson before reading this book, and I learned a lot about his impact on the world. It was a very engaging read.
Interesting quotes:
"For those that have it, an addiction to mathematics can be as difficult to overcome as addiction to tobacco or alcohol. The logic of mathematics is different from most habits of mind. Few things in life are as pure and self-consistent. To many teenagers life appears messy and hopeless even without the onset of world war around the corner. The chesslike rigor of mathematics kept chaos at bay, at least temporarily." (p. 10)
"Paraphrasing a common sentiment, Peierls said that a specialist is a 'person who learns more and more about less and less until he knows everything about nothing,' while a generalist 'learns less and less about more and more until he knows nothing about everything.' Both men tended toward being generalists, although no one would say that Dyson and Peierls knew nothing about everything." (pp. 78-79)
[Space Traveler's Manifesto] "Our purpose, and our belief, is that the bombs which killed and maimed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki shall one day open the skies to men." (p. 135)
"A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible." (p. 138)
"Even if in practice the rival concepts would likely result in the same thing, namely the deaths of millions, the outlook of the two positions is very different. America says to Russia: if you try anything we will destroy you. And Russia says to America: if you try anything we will outlive you." (pp. 211-212)
"Soviet leaders do not always wish to listen to our diplomacy, Dyson argued, but they do listen to our technology." (p. 214)
"In trying to find a way out of the nuclear labyrinth we've made for ourselves we can resort to political measures, such as negotiating treaties and shifting to a nonnuclear defense." (p. 217)
"Dyson, having lived through world war and cold war, doesn't pretend this is a benign universe, only that it is interesting." (p. 227)
"An awareness of our smallness may help to redeem us from the arrogance which is the besetting sin of scientists." (p. 237)
"A person who goes against consensus on important issues is called a heretic. If, furthermore, the contrarian vision proves to be apt - if the heretical portent comes to pass - then we call him a prophet. Prophecy is retrospective." (p. 264)
new words: orthogonal, heresiarch
May 16, 2014
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads. I had a hard time with this book. I really enjoy biographies, but this one was difficult to get through. I felt like the author couldn't decide who he was writing for and what he was writing. Sometimes it felt like I was back in college trying to get through my biology book, and sometimes it was like a nice biography. The science was pretty dumbed down which was good, because it made it easier to understand.
One thing I didn't like was the fact that the author would spend between a paragraph and a chapter introducing what he is going to talk about in the next part of the book. Don't waste my time telling me what you are going to talk about, just do it!
Another thing I didn't like was some of the comparisons. Some were REALLY far fetched and took way too long to explain. Having read all the plays he referenced in the book, I can safely say that his comparisons are not really what the plays were about.
Over all, this book was a little difficult to get though, but I did learn a lot about an incredibly important man that I honestly hadn't heard of before. While I think this book is skippable, everyone should know who Freeman Dyson is and know of his contributions to science.
One thing I didn't like was the fact that the author would spend between a paragraph and a chapter introducing what he is going to talk about in the next part of the book. Don't waste my time telling me what you are going to talk about, just do it!
Another thing I didn't like was some of the comparisons. Some were REALLY far fetched and took way too long to explain. Having read all the plays he referenced in the book, I can safely say that his comparisons are not really what the plays were about.
Over all, this book was a little difficult to get though, but I did learn a lot about an incredibly important man that I honestly hadn't heard of before. While I think this book is skippable, everyone should know who Freeman Dyson is and know of his contributions to science.
December 10, 2015
Freeman Dyson is the scientist I most admire and respect. He has fantastic ideas, he advanced modern physics in many ways, and he has an exceptional personality.
Unfortunately, this biography does not do justice to the full scope of his person. It is mostly a dull enumeration of various events in his life, skimming over his scientific achievements. Great ideas (such as Dyson's eternal intelligence) are treated in a few sentences, and the casual reader will not understand their importance (or even notice them).
I find The Last Three Minutes by Paul Davies a much better introduction to Dyson's work. Those who are skilled in physics should also check his Selected Papers.
Unfortunately, this biography does not do justice to the full scope of his person. It is mostly a dull enumeration of various events in his life, skimming over his scientific achievements. Great ideas (such as Dyson's eternal intelligence) are treated in a few sentences, and the casual reader will not understand their importance (or even notice them).
I find The Last Three Minutes by Paul Davies a much better introduction to Dyson's work. Those who are skilled in physics should also check his Selected Papers.
April 18, 2013
Weird writing style - kind of a cross between biography and informal "as told by..." style. Author spends more time talking about Dyson than describing his achievements.
October 2, 2025
I feel forced to give this 5 star because I practically read every page when I only expected to maybe gain a few facts as I leafed through this tome. Congrats to author Schewe for snagging this non-scientist !
My brother has the physics degree so I had him in mind as I picked this off the library shelf .. and indeed he wants to read it next !
This book is a wonderful introduction to such an interesting scientist ! I learned lots ;) and jotted some reminder notes.
My brother has the physics degree so I had him in mind as I picked this off the library shelf .. and indeed he wants to read it next !
This book is a wonderful introduction to such an interesting scientist ! I learned lots ;) and jotted some reminder notes.
March 13, 2013
As is usual, I received this book via a GoodReads giveaway. Despite the kind consideration of paying nothing for the book my candid opinions follow below.
To begin, a few key points. The first of which is to point out that this book has very little to do with science, or indeed anything especially technical. It is first and foremost a biography. Anyone wishing to learn about Dyson's achievements at a technical level will find themselves wholly disappointed. Further, the book is organized as a simple chronology of events and while it touches on some of Dyson's interactions with the more technical crowd which surrounded him throughout his lifetime, it doesn't go into them in any satisfactory depth.
After this book it is clear to any reader that Dyson is the ultimate polymath. Excelling at any number of disciplines he's pretty much what I would aim for myself, broad and wise pursuit of all available knowledge. One can find no more auspicious target than that.
Despite the incisive perception of the subject, the author does tend to drag in his presentation. The events of Dyson's life are laid out on display but as a more technical reader I found myself tapping my foot a bit in the metaphorical sense. It took a long time to convey what I wanted to know. Readers with a more personal or biographical bent are sure to be pleased where I was impatient.
In summary, Dyson is clearly a miracle of his age. This biography, however, leaves the most interested parties, the nerds and geeks of the world, a bit disappointed. To those who simply wish to know about the man, all satisfaction is guaranteed. To those who want the back story on the specific technical innovations, prepare for disappointment.
To begin, a few key points. The first of which is to point out that this book has very little to do with science, or indeed anything especially technical. It is first and foremost a biography. Anyone wishing to learn about Dyson's achievements at a technical level will find themselves wholly disappointed. Further, the book is organized as a simple chronology of events and while it touches on some of Dyson's interactions with the more technical crowd which surrounded him throughout his lifetime, it doesn't go into them in any satisfactory depth.
After this book it is clear to any reader that Dyson is the ultimate polymath. Excelling at any number of disciplines he's pretty much what I would aim for myself, broad and wise pursuit of all available knowledge. One can find no more auspicious target than that.
Despite the incisive perception of the subject, the author does tend to drag in his presentation. The events of Dyson's life are laid out on display but as a more technical reader I found myself tapping my foot a bit in the metaphorical sense. It took a long time to convey what I wanted to know. Readers with a more personal or biographical bent are sure to be pleased where I was impatient.
In summary, Dyson is clearly a miracle of his age. This biography, however, leaves the most interested parties, the nerds and geeks of the world, a bit disappointed. To those who simply wish to know about the man, all satisfaction is guaranteed. To those who want the back story on the specific technical innovations, prepare for disappointment.
February 27, 2013
I would probably give this more of a 3.5. This biography is about Freeman Dyson, a well respected Physicist and Mathematician. Throughout his life he worked on a diverse array of projects and with many famous scientists, including many of those involved with the making of the atomic bomb. I found it fascinating that even though he recieved multiple honorary doctorate degrees, he never earned a Ph.D. Although he supported this book, he never agreed to an interview by the author but I don't think this affected the research which was thorough. The main problem of this book is that it really is geared towards someone with a better understanding of Physics, which I am not. The portions concerning his personal life were extremely fascinating, however some of the details about his various research projects lost me. Overall, it is a well written account of a very interesting and profound individual but just a little tough to read at times. I received this book from Goodreads First Reads.
August 13, 2016
Freeman Dyson is a brilliant man who has led a fascinating life. Perhaps his greatest contribution as a mathematician came early in his career, in the field of quantum electrodynamics. He has made contributions in a host of other fields, from engineering to defense planning. He is an essayist, reviewer, public speaker. He has spread his talents very widely. Dyson came of age professionally in the boom years of science and technology, in post-WW2 America. The boundless promise of Big Science, epitomized by the triumphant success of the Manhattan Project, seems to color his worldview right through to the current day, and he has a grand view of the ultimate future of humanity riding technology to the stars and finding a kind of immortality there.
Philip Schewe has written a very positive biography, and that is fine as far as it goes. But some of Dyson's ideas are pretty far out in left field, and I can't help but think that a somewhat more critical, objective biography would have been an improvement.
Philip Schewe has written a very positive biography, and that is fine as far as it goes. But some of Dyson's ideas are pretty far out in left field, and I can't help but think that a somewhat more critical, objective biography would have been an improvement.
March 17, 2013
A good book with a narrow audience as I see it. You really should be interested in science because although the book tells the story of Mr. Dyson's fascinating personality and life it is helpful to have some basic knowledge of and interest in Physics and a wide variety of predominately science oriented topics. What is interesting about Mr. Dyson is that he is primarily a man who enjoys bucking established beliefs in the scientific community. He is a very interesting "old Cuss" at this point and the author gives a balanced appraisal of his life.
September 1, 2016
I won this book from Goodreads. I have to say I entered the contest because I thought it was about the inventor, James Dyson. There's an episode of "The Big Bang Theory!" I will say that I learned a lot by reading this. There were parts where my eyes glazed over. However, generally I found that I wanted to know more about Freeman Dyson.
March 27, 2013
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads. This has to be the most indepth look at one of the greatest minds in the last century. It was amazing to read and is the ultimate "geek read".... that's a good thing! There is so much research information that the book is footnoted and has references throughout. A must read if you are into brilliant people and brilliant writing.
March 24, 2013
A well written account of Freeman Dyson's life. Due to the nature of the story, one should take your time and think about what you are reading. Whether you agree with Mr. Dyson's opinions or not, you will come away with a new appreciation for his amazing talents.
August 22, 2013
Dyson is a pretty interesting guy, but this book is boring.
November 10, 2013
He's just not quite as lovable as Richard Feynman or Nikola Tesla... but I enjoy biographies about scientists, definitely not a bad book. More like 3.5
March 12, 2013
This was really a fascinating read - especially for those interested in physics. Freeman Dyson was a brilliant man and contributed much to our science history. I highly recommend this book for any men on your gift list - such an interesting person with an incredible mind. It was a bit over my head, but I was awe-struck by his life and intelligence. What a brilliant man, he was, a great non-fiction read.
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November 27, 2012Reviewed for Publishers Weekly.
A bit dense, too technical for general taste. But fascinating guy!
A bit dense, too technical for general taste. But fascinating guy!
August 29, 2013
a fun read on the broad interests of Freeman. enjoyable!
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January 17, 2014509.2 S328 2013
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July 19, 2016If you'd like to know what I thought of this book, please contact me directly and I'd be happy to discuss it with you.
All the best,
- TB
All the best,
- TB
October 8, 2014
This is why I love biographies! I learned something about a very interesting person who a lot of people don't know has been very influential.
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March 27, 2016FJD lead an interesting life; what some would call a Renaissance man. I didn't read every word, but enough to know this man had a wide-ranging effect on life during my lifetime.
March 25, 2013
i'am interesting in this book, and i want read.
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February 26, 2018what a role model
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews